Olympic Partner Alibaba Group opens new doors to the cloud for its first Olympic Games

Worldwide TOP Partner Alibaba Group kicked off its first Olympic Games with the opening of its showcase – “Olympic Games on the Cloud” – at the Gangneung Olympic Park. The event was attended by Jack Ma, founder and Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group, and Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, as well as distinguished guests and Olympians, including Yao Ming (basketball) and Michelle Kwan (figure skating).

The Alibaba Group Olympic Games showcase is an interactive, future-looking experience that shows fans, athletes, organising bodies and fellow Partners Alibaba’s vision for a future Olympic Games - one that runs completely on the cloud. Visitors can explore different Games-related scenarios that illustrate the potential impact of Alibaba’s cloud services and e-commerce platforms on future Games.

“Our long-term partnership with the Olympic Games is the ultimate showcase for Alibaba, both in terms of what we stand for as a company and how we can use our technology to reimagine the Olympic Games for the digital era,” said Jack Ma. “Like the Olympic Games, Alibaba believes in creating a level playing field, giving everyone the chance to compete on the global stage.”

Alibaba

“The IOC is entering a new era of digitalisation which we are doing in partnership with Alibaba,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “Alibaba is offering us a unique platform to expand the appeal of the Olympic Games and to keep our fans close. I am impressed by the company’s forward-looking, efficiently-driven work and look forward to 10 more years of partnership and even more success.”

Located in Gangneung Olympic Park, the Olympic Showcase will be open to the public daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. from 11 to 25 February.

Alibaba Cloud ET Sports Brain

Alibaba Cloud ET Sports Brain is Alibaba’s integrated solution and platform for powering the future of sporting events. It enables various stakeholders to leverage cloud technologies to deliver the future of sports events in a secure, stable and cost-effective manner and to provide fans with a convenient and engaging experience.

As the official Cloud Services partner of the International Olympic Committee, Alibaba Cloud will provide best-in-class cloud computing infrastructure and cloud services to help the Olympic Games digitise its operations to be more efficient, effective, secure and engaging for fans and athletes.

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“The opportunity for technology to positively influence, shape and reimagine the Olympic Games experience is tremendous and we haven’t even scratched the surface yet,” said Chris Tung, CMO of Alibaba Group. “Over the next 10 years, the Alibaba Cloud Services will serve as the foundation of our efforts to help drive the digital transformation of the Games, creating a more efficient and enjoyable experience for all audiences.”

Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 Advertising Campaign

“To the Greatness of Small” is a concept that is core to Alibaba Group’s brand and heritage and is a message that emanates from founder Jack Ma, who has said: “Small is Beautiful. Small is Powerful.” For Alibaba Group employees, it represents an inspiration to create technology and innovation for small and medium-sized business, enabling them to grow and achieve their own greatness in the global marketplace.

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The partnership between the Alibaba Group and the IOC began in January of 2017, when the two signed a historic, long-term strategic partnership to help transform the Olympic Games for the digital era. Alibaba will serve as the official “Cloud Services” and “E-Commerce Platform Services” Partner, and a Founding Partner of the Olympic Channel through the 2028 Games.